Meghan Markle ‘Used’ by Netflix to Promote Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen

Friends of Meghan Markle have claimed the Duchess of Sussex was “used” by Netflix to generate publicity for Guy Ritchie’s hit series The Gentlemen.

Sources close to Meghan accused the streaming giant of publicising her possible involvement in the crime comedy to attract attention to the show.

In August, a Hollywood website reported that Meghan was in preliminary discussions about a potential role in the third season of the Netflix drama.

The report emerged just two days after Meghan and Prince Harry were said to be planning an indefinite return to Britain with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

However, within 24 hours of the talks being reported, plans for Meghan’s acting comeback appeared to stall amid public criticism of the proposed casting, with the discussions reportedly abandoned.

Meghan’s friends have now alleged that she was “used to help promote” the show’s second season, which premiered last month and stars Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.

One source claimed Netflix wanted to strengthen the show’s publicity because it knew the second season was not “as good as the first”, despite already commissioning a third series.

“It’s the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you’re ‘in conversation’ with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along,” the source told The Telegraph.

The source added that the episode had “left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp’s mouth”, claiming Netflix had ultimately “got what it wanted” through increased publicity and stronger viewing figures for the new season.

Official audience figures showed that viewership for The Gentlemen fell by approximately 15 per cent compared with the first season’s debut, which attracted 3.5 million viewers when it was released in March 2024.

The first episode of the second season drew around three million British viewers in the week after its release on Netflix.

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Before marrying Prince Harry, Meghan starred in the popular US legal drama Suits, playing lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons.

After her final episode aired in 2018, Meghan joined the Royal Family and put her acting career on hold. She has not taken on another acting role since then.

In 2022, Meghan told Variety that she had no plans to return to acting. “I’m done. I guess never say never but my intention is to absolutely not,” she said.

She has nevertheless made tentative moves back into the industry, taking a small part in the upcoming US film Close Personal Friends. Meghan is expected to appear as herself in a cameo alongside Lily Collins and Brie Larson.

Earlier this year, she also appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia, filming the episode in Melbourne in April during a four-day tour of the country with Harry.

Yet another source said Meghan was ‘very cautious’ about reading scripts for acting ventures due to the potential of her involvement being leaked to the press. They said whatever Meghan might star in would ‘attract huge interest’. 

‘The prospect of seeing her return to acting will drive big audiences,’ the source said. ‘And ultimately, someone – whether it’s Netflix, Amazon or another studio – is going to make a lot of money from it.’ 

The Duchess previously had a longstanding relationship with Netflix, signing a $100million five-year deal with the service in 2020. However, this lapsed last year after Netflix panned her lifestyle show, ‘With Love, Meghan’. 

The show received mixed reviews from critics, with its second series failing to make the top ten in the UK or the US since its release.  

Netflix has been contacted for comment. 

The Duchess of Sussex has been contacted for comment.